Author: Chris Johnson

Chris Johnson is Senior Pastor at FBCSA.

Leap and Whirl

Re:Verse passage – 2 Samuel 6 (day seven)

There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven…
A time to weep and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn and a time to dance.
(Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4)

In the initial chapters of 2 Samuel David lives out these verses from Ecclesiastes.  We began with passionate mourning of Saul’s death, and now, we see David celebrate enthusiastically.  In 2 Samuel 6 David leaps and whirls before the Lord because the Lord God above has been good to them.  It is the perfect time for such a response.

I pray that we can celebrate like David when God provides miraculous gifts.  When you see God work don’t hold back.  Shout for joy, blast trumpets in celebration, dance with excitement, and bless the Lord with your praise.  It is the perfect time for such a response.

Clarity

Re:Verse passage – 2 Samuel 5 (day seven)

David seems to hear God’s voice clearer and quicker than we do.  

And the Lord said to David, “Go up, for I will certainly give the Philistines into your hand.” (v.19)

When David inquired of the Lord, He said, “You shall not go directly up; circle around behind them and come at them in front of the balsam trees.  It shall be, when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then you shall act promptly, for then the Lord will have gone out before you to strike the army of the Philistines.” (v.23-24)

David not only hears God, but God gives him step by step instructions on what to do and where to go. How do we find that level of clarity? Is that level of clarity even possible?

Thankfully we have the gift of the Holy Spirit to fill in the blanks.  In Experiencing God Henry Blackaby notes that the Holy Spirit uses 4 methods to speak clearly into our lives: Scripture, Prayer, Circumstance, and Church.  He argues that through those four God is speaking loud and clear today, if only we would listen.

The LORD Knew Better

Re:Verse passage – 2 Samuel 1; 2:1-7 (day seven)

The men of David said to him, “Behold, this is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘Behold; I am about to give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it seems good to you.’” (1 Samuel 24:4)

Then Abishai said to David, “Today God has delivered your enemy into your hand; now therefore, please let me strike him with the spear to the ground with one stroke, and I will not strike him the second time.” (1 Samuel 26:8)

Twice David had the opportunity to destroy Saul and assume kingship.  Both times the trusted men around David assumed God was giving Saul into his hand believing God was finally solidifying David’s authority as God had promised, but David knew better.  He knew better, because he was near the LORD.  That is the only way to know better.  We only avoid the camouflaged pitfalls of this world by keeping as near as we can to the LORD.

[Being near God David said] The Lord forbid that I should stretch out my hand against the Lord’s anointed; (1 Samuel 26:11a)

Fishers of Men

Re:Verse passage – John 21 (day seven)

Simon Peter went up and drew the net to land, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not torn. (John 21:11)

153 was a remarkable haul of fish and an unusually exact record.  Many scholars have conjured up hypotheses to explain the exact accounting, but it seems the logical explanation is that the number 153 has no ulterior meaning.  It was just a bunch of fish.

Just imagine, if Jesus points His disciples to a bunch of fish on an impromptu fishing trip, how much more will Jesus point these fishers of men to people ready for the Gospel.  Like fish shoaling near a boat there are many like Zaccheus (Lk 19) or the Ethiopian Eunuch (Acts 8) who long for the Gospel that Jesus Christ can point His followers to.

May our nets be full of those ready to follow Jesus Christ.

Peace

Re:Verse passage – John 20:1-21 (day seven)

Twice in this week’s text Jesus speaks peace over His disciples (v.19, 21).  Peace was, and still is a personal greeting in the Middle East, but this was far more than a “hello”.  In this salutation Jesus’ creative voice calms fears and drives evil away just like His voice stilled the choppy waters on the Sea of Galilee.

Tucked away in a locked room the disciples were afraid of what was next, much like we fear our unknown futures or a perceived difficulty that lies in front of us.  However, whatever may be next for you, God is well aware of the hurdles ahead and remains the author of peace for those that are His.

The Scriptures

Re:Verse passage – John 19:1-30 (day seven)

In the weakness of the crucifixion we hear Jesus living out Scripture perfectly. In Matthew 27:46 Jesus quotes the famous line from Psalm 22, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” and in John 19: 28 Jesus fulfills another line from the Psalms by announcing his thirst. Scripture flows from the mouth of Christ at the most devasting moments of His earthly existence.

My prayer is that we find a similar way. A way that is built upon the Word of God as our foundation so that when the wind and waves of life pummel us the Holy Spirit will bring forth a fortifying Scripture. May we fill our heart and mind with verses that we can cling to in the darkest days.

Shalom

Re:Verse passage – John 14: 15-31 (day seven)

Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. John 14:27

Jesus reminds us that in the Holy Spirit we will find a peace that passes all understanding. It is more than the cessation of war, but a calm on every side.  The Holy Spirit will bring the sleep of the innocent at night and the boldness of the righteous at daybreak.  We who believe in Christ Jesus have a newfound peace unavailable to the world.

The world has often offered peace, but she has never been able to deliver long-term as George Beasley-Murray writes, “A striking example…is the famous Ara Pacis, altar of peace, erected in Rome by Augustus (January 30, 9 b.c.), the first of its emperors, to celebrate his establishment of the age of peace proclaimed by the prophets; it still stands in Rome, a monument to the skill of its sculptors and to the empty messianic pretensions of its emperors.”

POTUS

Re:Verse passage – John 13: 1-17 (day seven)

Godincidentally, I was listening to Donald Miller’s podcast, Building a Story Brand, this week, and I  stumbled upon an episode from November with Andy Stanley.  It just so happened that they brought up the foot washing scene from our text this week.

As the story goes, Stanley was given the opportunity to preach at President Obama’s pre-inauguration service in 2013, and Stanley used John 13 as a focal point. He preached that when you realize that you are the most powerful person in the room, Jesus would have you leverage that power for the benefit of the other people in the room.  You (addressing POTUS) need to get down on your knees like Jesus and wash feet.

While I hope that struck a chord with the President, the same message rings true for us in far lesser roles of authority.  As Jesus said, “If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.”John 13:14

Better Plan

Re:Verse passage – John 12:20-37, 42-50 (day seven)

Jesus does two extraordinary turnabouts in this text. They seem out of character and unlike the Jesus we often imagine.  For one, Jesus seems to ignore the Greeks who have asked to speak to him.  He never acknowledges them through this discourse. Then, in verse 36 Jesus hides himself from the unbelievers.

He could have at least spoken to the Greeks or stuck around to try to save some of the unbelievers, both of which seem more noble than this account in John 12.  Why did he leave all of them out in the cold?

We find the answer in verse 27: “Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour.”

God’s plan rarely includes all the good we think it should.  We think Jesus could have talked to the Greeks or hung around a little bit longer, when, in fact, it was time for Jesus to head towards the cross.  God plans often diverge from our best intentions, and when they do we follow God anywhere and everywhere He goes, even when we have to give up good opportunities.

Doubt and Ignorance

Re:Verse passage – John 9:1-7, 13-41 (day seven)

Healing this blind man seems like an odd choice for Jesus. For one, there is no record of this man inquiring for healing (v.1, 6).  Jesus just seems to heal him.  Then, this blind man calls Jesus a prophet (v. 17), which is an honorific title, but falls short of Jesus’ true identity.  Then, when questioned further on Jesus’s life, the blind man claims that he has no idea if Jesus is sinless (v.25), and even when Jesus asks him about believing in the Son of Man, the blind man questions Jesus (v.36).

This blind man seems to know nothing about Jesus Christ. Things we are taught in the earliest stages of Sunday School are lost on him, but he had an experience with our Lord and Savior.

He (the blind man) then answered, “Whether (Jesus) is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.”(John 6:25)

In two interactions with Jesus Christ this man’s life was changed forever.  He ignored all those outside, doubting voices.  He ignored his own ignorance, and he obediently followed Jesus Christ.

And he said, “Lord, I believe.” And he worshiped Him. (John 6:38)

May we make such a statement of belief through all doubt and ignorance.